A service chain path may include a sequence of service function instances that reside on various network nodes. When a traffic flow is forwarded over a service chain, packets in the traffic flow are processed by the various service function chain (SFC) entities, with each service function instance applying a service function (e.g., firewall, network access translation (NAT), deep packet inspection (DPI), etc.) prior to forwarding the packets to a next network node. For example, a packet may be forwarded and/or processed by various SFC entities (e.g., a classifier, a service function a forwarder/switch, a router, and an SFC proxy server) in accordance with a service chain header (SCH) information appended in the packet that may be forwarded to the SFC entities over the service chain path.